In the Dark
by Elarion
Summary: Draco and Harry. What more can you ask for? I'm really going to try to make this believeable, so don't expect me to cut STRAIGHT TO THE INTROFUCTIONS. Saavy?rnrnIt takes place in a basic timeline where Draco's father is an abusive git. Sixth year.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Sh'yeah, not mine at all. I don't claim to own any of the characters, and as such...don't think I do. Kthnx.

Notes: Right, I'm not a huge writer. I'm more of a paragraph roleplayer...so if it seems like I'm taking turns with the characters that would be why. I'm going to try and ... not. Hopefully that will work.

I figure this takes place in about sixth year, as the base timeline. There will be occasions where we have a nice little 'flashback' to a few years before, but I'm sure you're all smart enough to figure out when that happens, right? ;D

You should all know now that there's something about Ron that bothers me, so I don't want to hear about 'you're so mean to Ron DD:'. Tough. It's my story. If you want to write a story about Ron and Hermione snogging, be my guest.

I generally suck at plotlines as far as making sure they're free of HOLES. So if you find something that doesn't make sense, feel free to mention it. Unless it's something anal retentive and along the lines of: THE SIXTH BOOK ISN'T WRITTEN YET HOW CAN YOU WRITE THIS!?

I will find you and pull out your entrails. That is the general point. Since it's not written yet, I can make my own bloody plotline. Makes things exciting indeed. And now...on to the story! Crappily written as it may or may not be.

I don't pretend to be the expert on these characters. I perceive them differently than anyone else might, since everyone has their own opinions about the characters. So don't spazz. Kthnx.

Prologue

Draco Malfoy was quite enjoying his private shower. It wasn't exactly private, persay. After all, it was still the male lavatory. However, it was also roughly 3A.M. on a weekday night. There weren't many people up around this time, so it wasn't likely the blonde was going to be interrupted unless someone had a freak insomnia spell. That was probably for the best, as the blonde wasn't exactly in paramount condition to deal with harassment from other houses. Hell, it was hard enough to keep himself standing upright.

These nights were the hardest; nights where he left for his father's suite early and returned late, only to have to perk himself up for classes. Oh, yes...and use that nifty little glamour charm he'd been taught at such a young age. Perfect for hiding unseemly bumps and bruises, oh yes! Not that it did anything for the pain. But then, the pain was the general point of most of his 'lessons'. The blonde felt that as long as the rest of the school was oblivious, things would work out. He had too much pride to admit to anyone his problems and the like, as it would only make him appear weak. Pale, thin lips pursed and Draco suppressed a shudder as he felt a thin trickle of blood down the back of his thigh. The liquid had traveled the long journey from the various wounds on his back and down the smooth curve of his thigh only to be swept away with the warm spray of the shower down the drain. With a light, breathy sigh, Draco leant back against the cool tile wall in an effort to remain conscious. Feeling that he was sufficiently clean, the lithe male stepped out from under the head and turned the facets off, grabbing his favorite black towel. Though they did offer towels in the bathrooms, the blonde found the aspect of explaining bloodstains to the house elves less than appealing. Delicate hands brushed golden strands back behind his ears before groping about for his wand, hoping that he'd remembered to retrieve it from whichever part of the hardwood it had flown to. To his relief, it still laid buried in his left robe pocket, nestled as safely as ever. A few flicks of his wrist and the wounds were dressed completely, covered in ugly white cotton and thick medical tape. His towel was wrapped about his waist and he went about gathering his things, looking forward to his few hours of sleep before morning classes. That was, of course, until he caught sight of a flash of dark hair. The fidgeting Slytherin froze in his spot, attempting to gather his things up into his arms as swiftly as possible.

This attempt proved futile, however. Draco found himself suddenly face to face with none other than the Boy who Lived, Harry Potter. A bit of a hiss was given under his breath, and the blonde's gaze flicked up to catch the slightly taller male's eyes.

"Up a bit late for a nancy boy, don't you think? Wouldn't want to disappoint your brownnosing mudblood friend. And after all...Neville doesn't provide near the quality entertainment that you lot do."

His words would probably have had more bite if they had not been coming from a shaking young blonde who looked as if he'd lost a fight with a lawnmower.

Harry blinked once, then again. Malfoy looked...well, he didn't look much like Malfoy at all. He was battered and bruised, and he was half-naked. Oh dear. The dark-haired boy flushed rather prettily, cheeks tinted a rosy colour for a moment or two, before he remembered that it was not at all polite to stare. His shoulder twitched just enough for it to be noticeable, his unsure features slipping down to meet Draco's.

"Uhh...bluhh." The boy rubbed the back of his neck, clearing his throat before continuing. "The thing...where you can't sleep well...insomnia!" He exclaimed, rather proud of himself for remembering something that Hermione told him. It also disproved her theory that everything she told Harry did indeed hop out of his head the moment it was taught to him.

"You look like hell, Malfoy."

The blonde simply heaved a heavy sigh, resting back against the tiles again. This was going to be a long, long night.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sh'yeah, not mine at all. I don't claim to own any of the characters, and as such...don't think I do. Blah blah blah.

Notes: Oh God. . It's been a few months, hasn't it? Oh yes. Does school ever EAT YOU and then refuse to spit you out? Well, that happened. It sucks, but it was partially inevitable. Hugs and kisses to those who have reviewed. Chu!

Chapter 1

"You're one to talk, Potter. I've seen Trolls looking better than you."

He spat the words out with their usual sense of malice, but they were half-hearted at best. Harry could see it too, it seemed. The blonde was rewarded with little more than an eye roll and something unfamiliar in Harry's eyes. It made him oddly uncomfortable, not knowing what was going on behind those sparkling emeralds. Then again, he was uncomfortable not being able to know what was going on anywhere, especially with himself and people around him. The blackouts were getting more frequent now, but he was sure that was from lack of blood. It was only now, getting lost in his own thoughts, that Draco noticed Harry had fallen silence, gaping at the already blood-soaked bandages. _Goddamnit…_

The blonde felt his cheeks flush an angry red with shame.

"What the fuck are you doing in the lavatory if you've got insomnia, Potter?"

He snapped out sharply, wincing at nearly the same moment as the throbbing began in the back of his head. Another headache? He always got them after nights like these…stress, Madame Pomfrey had told him. She'd seemed a bit skeptical at his explanation of the bruises littering his arms, however. Not that she'd go against his word, mind you…his father had the wheels of justice greased a little too smoothly for anyone to be suspicious. Once again, his mind was wandering. Fortunately, he was pulled out of his stupor by the sound of Harry's voice, sounding rather sheepish.

"I needed to pee."

"…Oh."

Draco felt stupid, now. He bit down hard on his lip and then gave a bit of a smirk, crossing his arms over the front of his chest and acting rather protective of himself.

"Well, now that you've done that you can leave, can't you?"

His voice was oddly coarse, and he was still holding himself in that careful, motherly manner, his arms wrapped about his waist.

"Actually, I must insist that you leave."

Harry was a little confused, but thought nothing of it. This was much more like the Draco he'd grown used to, and even if he was slightly concerned for the blonde, he was glad to see something familiar. The dark-haired boy turned on his heels and left the room, deciding to get a glass of warm milk to soothe him. That sort of thing worked, didn't it? As soon as Harry had disappeared around the corner of the baths, Draco too left the room, hurrying down the corridor towards the Slytherin commons.

Final Notes:A gold star for anyone who can guess what's wrong with Draco. :D And my admiration, of course.


End file.
